A Note From Helen . . . This week’s eTown broadcast with The Punch Brothers and Tift Merritt
by helen ~ January 19th, 2010. Filed under: Uncategorized.Hey everyone,
Nick and I just returned from a few days in Aspen, seeing old friends and getting out in the great outdoors. We also had a super live show taping with two incredible artists, John Hiatt and Brandi Carlile, at the historic Wheeler Opera House. This show will air in February; will let you know the details as we get closer to the airing date!
As for this week’s broadcast/podcast: eTown welcomes back one of my favorite people on the planet (what a great guy), as well as one of the most talented: composer, singer and Mandolinist extraordinaire, Chris Thile. This time he joins us as a member of the band, The Punch Brothers. 
This master musician combo also includes Gabe Witcher (fiddle), Noam Pikelny (banjo), Chris Eldridge (guitar) and Greg Garrison (bass). As the Boston Globe reports: this “top shelf acoustic quintet is a virtuosic revelation.” And, come to think of it, I love all those guys, they are the sweetest folks you’d ever want to meet. And damn brilliant players. Plus, Gabe is a terrific singer too.
Singer-songwriter Tift Merritt also will be with us (with some help from Nick and the ETones). She’s a great singer and a really interesting, emotive, insightful songwriter; I really think you will enjoy her (her chat with Nick is fun too!). And the E-Chievement Award goes to a retired New Hampshire couple for improving the lives of orphans overseas. Be sure to tune in to or podcast eTown this week for one phenomenal show!
